Security Engineer vs. Security Analyst

To put it in Sesame Street terms, Security Engineers like to fix systems and Security Analysts try to break them. Analysts are more concerned with probing for risks and weaknesses (pentesting, auditing, etc.); engineers are more intent on building robust security solutions (firewalls, IDS, etc.).

Having said that, we’ve seen a lot of crossover in job descriptions. Postings for “Security Analyst/Engineer” are pretty common.

Security Engineer Career Paths

Once you’ve made a name for yourself as a Security Engineer, you might be interested in positions with more managerial oversight and career flexibility:

Similar Jobs

The term “Security Engineer” has a few immediate siblings in the job market:

Network Security Engineer

Information Assurance Engineer

Information Security Engineer

Information Systems Security Engineer

Note: Network Security Engineers have the same basic job responsibilities as Security Engineers, but they focus primarily on the security of networking systems. This includes implementing, maintaining and integrating WAN, LAN and server architecture.

Security Engineer Salaries

According to Payscale, the median salary for a Security Engineer is $85,177 (2014 figures). Overall, you can expect to take home a total pay of $55,338 – $127,123. This includes your base annual salary, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable.

Security Engineer Job Requirements

Degree Requirements

The job of a Security Engineer is a highly technical one, so employers will expect you to have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Cyber Security or a related field.

Don’t have an undergraduate degree? You may wish to consider gaining a master’s degree with a concentration in IT Security. You can supplement this qualification with work experience, training and certifications.

Work Experience

Work experience requirements depend a good deal on the size of your organization and the scope of your responsibilities. We’ve seen everything from 1-10 years of experience required. Senior Security Engineers tend to fall in the range of 5-10 years.

Hard Skills

The more tools you have in your arsenal, the more attractive you will be as a job candidate. So you may wish to get familiar with:

Soft Skills

Generally speaking, Security Engineers are known for their complex problem-solving abilities and creative minds.

You’ll be spending a fair amount of time working an IT team, so employers will be looking for evidence of strong oral and communication skills. They also want to see that you’re capable of working long hours and dealing with stress.

Certifications for Security Engineers

We’ve listed a variety of certifications you may wish to consider as you build your career. None of these are necessarily mandatory – check current job descriptions for a sense of what’s popular: